Mercedes Citaros

[Railguy220]

Hi all! What does everyone think about the Citaros?

In my opinion i quite like them, they have a nice purr from the engine from the inside! But i do not like the seating plan at the back of them. They are also quite cramped in some places and there is no room for your feet.

What do you think?

Railguy220

 

[T163R]

Here in Paris (RATP), we currently have some Citaro I buses , but in not too long we will normally be the first transport operator to have Citaro III (that information needs confirmation).

Some of our Citaro I buses had lots of problems (cracking windscreens, engine fires, etc.) but i've been on several Citaro II buses and they seem to be a lot better than the first version.

Concerning the design, I really prefer the second version.

Concerning the seat configuration, it depends on the operator

 

[causton]

Where I live the 2 most common types of bus are Darts and Citaros.

The Citaros are definitely very comfortable and smooth, I find the seating arrangement a little odd at the back (on ours there is one row of seats facing backwards into the high-backed seat behind, which is odd!) but they have no sense of urgency. It's like they have all the time in the world; the engines feel sluggish and take a while to get up to speed, the doors take a longer time to open and close like someone's nudging them open; as opposed to the Darts' doors which are open almost instantly!

If I'm not in a rush (and I may be by the end of the time the Citaro gets to the end of the route, as they seem to be a bit less manouverable in tight spaces which holds us up!) then I will prefer the Citaro but I may have to put my headphones in to stop being irritated by the *click* whenever the bus moves off or slows down and the emergency door at the back locks/unlocks.

 

[T163R]

(Alexander) Dennis buses are light-weight buses: Alexander Dennis is a light-weight bus manufacturer. So they are logically faster to accelerate, to brake, etc.

 

[Railguy220]

Yes, the ones operated by go northeast have three side-ways seats on the right hand side with two pairs facing towards each other on the left. I do find the engine quite slow and my friend who drives them says he has to floor it when the bus is full! There doesn't seem to be as much standing room compared to the wright renowns they replaced. They are less than a year old on the TEN route and are starting to rattle alot and the panels on the ceiling are starting to fall down in some cases.

 

[robertclark125]

When the first Citaro launched, Stephen Morris said in Buses magazine that the bus was 2.5 inches narrower than other buses. He went on "It may only be small, but it's amazing how cramped the Citaro feels"